Zoltán von Halmay

Zoltán von Halmay was the first great swimmer from Continental Europe, winning nine Olympic medals (three gold, five silver, one bronze) between 1900 and 1908 at distances ranging from 50 yards to 4,000 metres. His gold medals came in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle in 1904 and the 4 x 250 metre relay in 1906. His 1904 50 yard freestyle victory came in a second race after the judges declared a dead heat in the first race between von Halmay and J. Scott Leary of the United States. Von Halmay swam mostly with his arms, without any leg movements, but in 1905 he set what is considered the inaugural record for 100 metres. The record remained unbeaten for more than four years, a remarkable length of time during a period of rapid development in the sport.